Yes, the chicken came before the egg!

In light of several conversations I had with friends over the past few days, where interestingly enough all of them a friend brought up the chicken or the egg example. Here is a piece of news that many of you missed. This anecdote you people use is not valid any more!

According to scientific evidence concluded in scientific research conducted at Sheffield University, the chicken actually came before the egg. Apparently, there is some protein found in the egg shells that only exists in the womb of a chicken. So there you have it, and stop using that line!

Original article starts here.

Chicken came before egg, evidence suggests

British scientists claim to have solved one of the great mysteries of life, the universe, and everything in it: The chicken came before the egg, they say, and they’re not mincing words.

“It had long been suspected that the egg came first, but now we have the scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first,” Sheffield University’s Colin Freeman, according to a report in the Metro.

Researchers from Scotland and England used a supercomputer called HECToR to look in such detail at a chicken eggshell that they were able to determine the vital role of a protein used to kick-start the egg’s formation.

That protein is only found, wait for it…inside a chicken.

Freeman, who worked on HECToR with counterparts at Edinburgh’s Warwick University, said the protein had been identified earlier by scientists and was known to be linked to egg formation, “but by examining it closely we have been able to see how it controls the process,” he added, describing it as a catalyst.

Professor John Harding, who also took part in the research, told Metro the discovery could have other applications.

“Understanding how chickens make shells is fascinating in itself, but can also give clues towards designing new materials.” he said.

Which is good, because in spite of HECToR’s hard work and the “scientific proof” it yielded, the study offered no explanation as to how the chicken got there in the first place.